How to Treat Overplucked Eyebrows

Get rid of that magnifying mirror.

One second you’re pulling out a little bit of stray eyebrow strands, and the next thing you know, half of your brow is gone. No one wants to end up with bald eyebrows, unless you want to of course. But the good news is, your brows can regain their shape after over-plucking, but you have to treat them well. And you’re going to need a heavy dose of patience because eyebrow hair has a very slow regrowth. It can even take between six months to a year for full re-growth, but you can help speed up the process.

Here are some ways how you can care for your brows after overplucking them.

1. Let your brow follicles breathe.

Keep your hands off your magnifying mirror. Stop obsessing over how thick it’s growing. You have to let the hair follicles breathe, and you’ll see that little by little, hair will grow.

2. Keep makeup away from the area. Even moisturizers!

Avoid creams, lotions, oils, and serums, basically everything you could apply on your face. These things can block the growth or stop it from fully forming back. Just apply the skin care products around it.

3. Give OTC eyebrow enhancing formulas a try.

Eyebrow products are usually packed with vitamins, peptides, and other strengthening ingredients that create an ideal environment for growth. If your eyebrows are thinning because of aging, talk to your dermatologist first. Although its on-label use is for lashes, I have seen amazing regrowth and thickening with its topical application.

There’s also seborrheic dermatitis, also known as “brow dandruff.” If you’re having flakiness, try mixing a pea-size amount of dandruff shampoo in the palm of your hand and applying it to your brows a few times per week. The key ingredient is zinc pyrithione which hydrates and rids flakes and itch.

4. Try castor oil, too.

It acts like a hair conditioner, and keeps your hairs soft so they don’t break. Full brows are popular now, so it’s better to be overgrown than over-tweezed. Just be patient. Let them grow back perfectly, and stop yourself from going back to your old habits!